Dust bin tipping arrangement



Oct. 24, 1961 H. ZOLLER DUST BIN TIPPING ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-$heet 1 Filed Oct. 13, 1959 n an 1m H. 2 Av my 4? 5 1 a Q m ,F K N 6 7 H N 4 W h I! W a A a e ATTIS.

Oct. 24, 1961 Filed Oct. 13, 1959 H. ZOLLER DUST BIN TIPPING ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO/P Hans Ziller- United States Patent 3,005,561 DUST BIN TIPPNG ARRANGEMENT Hans Ziiller, N0. 50-60 Wormserstrasse, Laubenheim (Rhine), Germany Filed Oct. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 846,141 6 Claims. (Cl. 214-303) The invention relates to dust bin tipping arrangements, and more specifically to -a dust bin tipping arrangement comprising an emptying chute with a tiltable front plate, and a swing arm shaft mounted coaxially with the front plate of the emptying chute.

For emptying dust bins into refuse collectors, dust bin tn'ppers actuated by compressed air are generally used, which tip the full dust bins into the emptying chute on the refuse collector so that the refuse slides down the chute into the refuse collector. To prevent the escape of dust, the chute is closed by a swing plate with a closing flap, the front plate and by a cloth arranged on the front plate and covering the range of swing from above and constructed as a tension roller blind. The front plate may have above its pivot axis two hooks on which the dust bin is hung by the dustman. As the dust bin tips about these hooks constituting a tipping axis, its upper edge bears against the front plate and the dust bin together with the front plate carries out a further swinging movement about its pivot axis into the chute. The upper end of the front plate finally comes into contact with shock absorbers arranged in the chute and the refuse slides through the open closing flap of the front plate into the refuse collector, whereupon the front plate and the dust bin are swung back into their initial positions.

'It has already been proposed to connect the front plate with a piston of a return swing cylinder through the intermediary of transmission elements and a carrier bolt arranged in the pivot axis of the front plate, the return swing cylinder being connected up with a compressed air container by means of a conduit. The air required is not used up during the swing-in and swing-out movements but is merely moved to and fro between the compressed air container and the return swing cylinder, whereby the impact of the front plate against the shock absorbers in' the chute, which limit the movement of the front plate, is always damped.

It is further known to arrange the shaft of the swing arm in bearing brackets in front of the chute housing. In this case the swivelling axes of the swing arm shaft and of the front'plate of the chute are a considerable distance apart. These known constructions have the drawback that during the swing-in and swing-out movements of the dust bin the lower end thereof slides a distance of about 100 to 150 mmfover the swing arm or its pendant plate, respectively, so .that the dust bin and especially the swing arm and the pendant plate are subjected to gradual wear. Moreover, the swing arm has to be made longer by this amount of 100to 150 mm. Dust bin chutes must be arranged as low as possible on the refuse collecting carts in order to facilitate the work of ,the dustmen. This can be attained ,by making the swing arm as short as possible so that the chute can be disposed at a low level.

Attempts have been to use a bifurcated swing arm with eyes at its upper ends and supported on bolts arranged outside of the side walls of the chute and extending in the direction of the swivelling axis of the front plate. The cylinder for tipping the dust bin is, in this case, arranged at one side of the emptying chute and acts merely upon one arm of the bifurcated swing arm. On the lowerportion of the swing arm there is provided a book which is firmly secured thereto and, when the swing arm is in position of rest, is located beneath the lower rim of the'dust bin and not engaged therewith. Since this known tipping Patented Oct. 24, 1961 2 device engages merely one arm of the bifurcated swing arm, this swing arm is submitted by lever action to torsional stress so that the swing arm must be provided with a bracket connecting the two arms, and made particularly heavy. The two eyes of the swing arm are exposed to the inevitable influence of dust and weather conditions and require permanent maintenance and lubrication. The hook provided at the lower portion of the swing arm is necessary for swinging back the dust bin together with the front plate. In order to effect this swinging back the tipping cylinder must be operated. a

The object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple in construction, economical to operate and which will effectively and efficiently perform the purposes for which it is intended.

The invention provides a dust bin tipping arrangement for refuse collecting carts, which comprises an emptying chute with side walls; a bearing secured in each of two opposite side walls; a swing arm shaft and a front plate coaxially rotatably miounted between said side walls; a longitudinal bore in said front plate into a part of which the swing arm shaft projects from one side of the front plate; a dustbin tipper operatively connected with the swing arm shaft, said swing arm shaft'being mounted in one side wall bearing and in two bearings provided in the longitudinal bore in the front plate, and said front plate being mounted at its opposite side in the other side wall bearing so that the swing arm shaft is rotatable in relation to the front plate and this front plate is allowed to be swung on the swing arm shaft; a swing arm secured to the swing arm shaft by fixing means; andacentral aperture in the front plate through which said swing arm projects.

The longitudinal bore in the front plate is provided at the opposite side thereof with a bush and a pin is located with one of its end portions in said bush; the opposite end portion of the pin being supported in the said other side wall bearing.

In the proposed dust bin tipping arrangement the relative movements between the dust bin and'the swing arm or the pendant plate, respectively, are reduced to such an extent that the wear of these parts corresponds to normal wear. By mounting the swing arm shaft in the longitudinal bore of the front plate an advantageous distortionfree power transmission is ensured so that'the swing arm can be made substantially shorter and lighter. The chute housing and the dust bin tipper are accordingly disposed at a lower level so that the work of the dustmen is facilitated and time and labor are saved. The closed and sealed arrangement of the bearings precludes the influence of dust' and weather conditions. A permanent maintenance and lubrication is not necessary since the bearings can be provided with lubricants sufiicient for a long period of time. A special return swing device for the front plate being provided, the dust bin tipper need not be actuated for the purpose of swinging back the front plate. The provision of a suspension hook at the lower end of the swing arm is therefore no longer required. 1

Finally the assembly and disassembly as well as the replacement of parts can be rapidly and easily performed.

The coaxial bearing arrangement has, besides, a pronounced beauty of form.

Preferred embodiments of the mechanism proposed by the invention will-now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of an arrangement according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the provision of a swing" arm provided with suspension hooks FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a dust bin tipper and V of part of an emptying chute, showing the arrangement of a connecting sleeve between said tipper and said chute,

and

' FIG. is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the connecting sleeve.

As shown in FIG. 1, a dust bin tipper 1 is mounted in conventional manner beside the emptying chute of a refuse collector or dustcart and is operatively connected with a swing arm shaft 2. The chute has two side walls 3 and 4 and tlieswing arm shaft 2 extends therebetween.

Mounted coaxially with the swing arm shaft 2 between the .side walls 3 and 4 of the chute is a tiltable front plate 5 of the chute. At its lower end said front plate 5 is provided with a longitudinal bore 11 and it may be provided in conventional manner with two hooks 6 for the suspension therefrom of a dust bin.

One end of the swing arm shaft 2 of the dust bin tipper 1 extends through the side wall 3 and ismounted in a' self-aligning bearing 7 which is equipped with two gaskets 9 and 10 and a cover Sand located in the. side wall 3 of thechute. The remaining portion of the swing arm shaft 2 extends through the bore 11 in the front plate Sand is supported in two bearings 12 and 13 inside the bore .11 in .the front plate 5 in such a way that the swing arm shaft 2 is free to rotate in relation'to the'front plate 5 and at the same time the front plate 5 can tilt on the swing'arm shaft 2.

At the end remote from the side wall 3 of the chute the longitudinal bore 11 of the front plate 5 is provided with a bush 14 which at its inner end is formed with a square-sectioned recess. A pin-15 with a square inner end 16 is located inside said bush 14 in such manner that the square end 16 engages the square-sectioned'recess in said bush 14 whereit is held in position by a fixing screw The pin 15 is rotatably held in a self-aligning bearing 18 which is equipped with two gaskets 20 and 21 and a cover 19. This self-aligning bearing-18 is secured in the sidewall 4 of the chute. The external projecting oppositecnd of the pin 15 carries a return swing lever 22 which is'linked by means of a pin 23 to a forked end 24 of a piston rod 25 of a return swing cylinder 26 for the front plate 5.

.. A swing arm 28 is provided at one of its ends with a bore 27 for thereception'of the swing-arm shaft 2 which is secured in said bore 27 by means of splines 29 or any other appropriate fixing means anda fixing screwnw. The swing arm 28 projects through an aperture 32 pro vided in the front plate in the central vertical plane thereof, which plane is indicated by the dot and dash lines marked by numeral 31. The opposite end of the swing arm 28 carries a pendentplate 33 for the support of the dust bin. V '1 The bore .11 in the. front plate 5 is fitted with gaskets 34, 35 and 36 for sealing, on the one hand, the aperture 32 through which the swing arm 28 projects and, on the other hand, the entry opening for the swing arm shaft 2 into the bore 11of the front plate 5. The cavities in the front plate 5 as well as the self-aligning bearings 7 and 18 are thus protected from'dust and they are filled with a lubricant. p

In the illustrative embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 two hooks 37 for the suspension therefrom of a dustbin 38 are providedon the'swing arm 28, as well as pressure relieving means 39. In this form of construction the provision of hooks 6 on the front plate 5 is'not required.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 thc selfaligning bearing 7 with its cover 8 and gaskets 9 and 10 is dispensed with and replaced by a collared flange 41 welded to the side wall 3 of the chute and by an adjoining connecting sleeve 42. The connecting sleeve 42 engages the collar on the flange 41 and at the sametime fits into the casing wall 45 of the dust bin tipper 1, and is secured by screws 46 and locating pins 47. The flange 41 may be omitted and instead the connecting sleeve 42 welded directly to the side wall 3 of the chute.

The swing arm shaft .2 is rotatable in an anti-friction bearing 43 provided in the casing wall 45 of the dust bin tipper 1, and is sealed by a gasket 44.

In this form of construction the bearing 12 in the bore 11 of the front plate 5 may be conveniently'replaced by a roller bearing 48.

In the above-described embodiment of the invention the dust bin tipper 1 is connected to the side wall 3 of the chute in a particularly advantageous manner and the provision of the hitherto necessary steel supports for securing the dust bin tipper 1 as well as of a bearing bracket and self-aligning bearings for the swing arm shaft 2, which were complicated, expensive and unsightly, rendered unnecessary. A further saving arises as a result 7 of the. absence of the self-aligning bearing 7 with the cover S and the gaskets 9 and 10. The described mechanism functions as follows:

When the dust bin tipper 1 is operated, the swing arm shaft 2 rotates in'the self-aligning bearing7 and in the bearings 12 and 13 inside the bore 11 of the front plate 5. This rotation of the'swing arm shaft. 2 causes the swing arm 28 together with the dust bin 38 which hangs on the hooks 6 and bears against the plate 33 to perform a tipping motion. The return swing cylinder 26, retains 7 the front plate 5 in position of'rest until the upper rim of the dust bin 38 has been raised into contact with the front plate 5. The continuation of the tipping movement by the dust bin 38 then tiltably deflects the front plate 5 until the latter is intercepted by abutments at the end of the'chute, the said tipping movement being performed with the aid of the two self-aligning bear-ings 7 and 18 as bcingthe main bearings. j

For tipping back the dust bin the return swing cylinder 26 is operated so that the pin 15 and its square end 16 is turned and the front plate 5 together with the dust bin 38 tilts .back out of the'chute until the front plate 5 has reached its position of rest. The swing arm 28 and the swing arm shaft 2 as well as the other members of the dust bin tipping mechanism participate in this swing out movement which proceeds in that the assembly turns in the two self-aligning bearings 7 and 18. As soon as the front plate 5 makes contact with abutments in the chute and is thereby intercepted, the furtherrearward tilting motion of the swing arm 28 and the dust bin 38 proceeds by the weight thereof. The, swing arm. shaft 2 now rotates in the self-aligning bearing 7 and in the bearings 12 and 13 inside the bore 11 of the front plate 5. When the" swing arm 28 is back in normal position the movable members of the dust bin tipper 1 will have likewise been returned by the swing arm shaft 2 to their positions of rest, so that the mechanism is ready for unloading the next dust bin. 1

For loading bulky refuse which cannot be contained in a dust bin and which must be loaded by hand without the-use of a dustbin, the return swing cylinder 26 is inactivated and the front plate 5 is either manually or by the contra-directional operation of the return swing cylinder 26 mechanically tiltedinto the chute. The swing arm sl1aft 2 and the swing arm 28 remain stationary and both the swing-in and swing-cub movements of the front plate 5 are performed in the bearings 12 and'13 and the self-aligning bearing 18. The provision of the two hooks 37 onthe swing arm 28, as shown in the embodiment according to FIGS. 2 and 3, has the advantage that no relative motion between the dust bin 38 and the plate 33 can occur, and that the lifting effort to be performed by the dustmen when suspendingthe dustbin 38 is a minimum, since thepoints of suspension are located at the lowest possible level.

When in the course of its tilting motion the swing arm 28-raises the dustbin 38 hanging on the hooks 37, the

upper rim of the dust bin 38 will come into contact with the front plate 5, as has above been described and as is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3. At the same time the pressure relieving means 39 come to bear against elastic buffers 40 arranged on the front plate 5, ensuring that the contact between the upper rim of the dust bin 38 and the front plate 5 will be gentle. In the further continuation of the tipping motion the pressure relieving means 39 push the front plate 5 into the chute until intercepted by buffered abutments located inside the chute. In this manner the plate 33 and the dust bin 38 are relieved of pressure against the front plate 5.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A dust bin tipping arrangement for refuse collecting carts comprising in combination an emptying chute having side walls, a first bearing carried by one of said side walls and a second bearing carried by the other of said side walls in alignment with said first bearing, an emptying chute front plate having a bore extending through a lower portion thereof, spaced third and fourth bearings seated in said bore, a driving shaft extending through said first bearing and being journalled in said third and fourth bearings, one end of said driving shaft terminating said front plate and the other end thereof projecting outwardly of said first bearing, a pin disposed coaxially with said driving shaft and extending through said second bearing into said front cover bore to support the side of said front cover adjacent said second bearing, means rigidly securing said pin to said front plate with said front plate being freely rotatable on said driving shaft together with said pin, a centrally disposed opening in the lower portion of said front plate opening into said front plate bore, a swing arm initially disposed in a depending vertical position and having an upper portion extending through said front plate opening, said swing arm upper portion being disposed intermediate said third and fourth bearings and having a bore receiving said driving shaft, means connecting said swing arm to said driving shaft for rotation therewith and relative to said front plate, and driving means carried by said one side wall and connected to said driving shaft outwardly of said first bearing for imparting limited rotation to said driving shaft and said swing arm, whereby a dust bin engaged with said swing arm will be rotated into engagement with said front plate and further rotation of said driving shaft will result in swinging of said front plate with said driving shaft and said swing arm.

2. The dust bin tipping arrangement of claim 1 wherein said front plate has a bush fixedly inserted in said front plate bore, said bush being part of said pin securing means, and said pin being fixedly connected to said bush.

3. The dust bin tipping arrangement of claim 1 wherein the connection between said swing arm and said driving shaft is a splined connection.

4. The dust bin tipping arrangement of claim 1 together with a return device for said front plate carried by said other side wall outside of said emptying chute, said return device being connected to said pin outwardly of said second bearing.

5. The dust bin tipping arrangement of claim 1 together with a pair of hooks on said swing arm for attach-.

ing a dust bin to said swing arm, and coacting pressure relieving means on said swing arm adjacent said hooks and on said front plate to limit the pressure engagement of a dust bin with said front plate.

6. The dust bin tipping arrangement of claim 1 where: in said first bearing is connected to the outer side of said one side wall of said emptying chute through the intermediary of a connecting sleeve secured to said one side wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,834,490 Zoller May 13, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 189,565 Austria Apr. 10, 1957 819,926 Great Britain Sept. 9, 1959 

